Best actress in a reality soap opera. . .

Saturday, June 04, 2011

My first run at being a nursing home nurse was one of those shortened assignments through the staffing agency. My one-month assignment to an area nursing home as an RN supervising a couple LPN's and about six techs ended after just 1 1/2 weeks. Why? Let's just say, it took me some time, but I realized that I couldn't supervise both LPN's when I was doing a good chunk of the work of one of them.

Why was I doing most of her work? Let's just say she has her ways of not getting done what she doesn't want to do. I was emotionally/mentally worn out taking care of her and doing her work while listening to the latest drama in her life.

Let's just say that her Daddy had a heart attack in jail because he wasn't getting his cardiac meds. On top of that the prison staff didn't believe her father was sick for a quite a while before they transferred him to the hospital, where he needed to be put on a ventilator. Why should she be freaked out about her Dad being on a ventilator? I guess, the last time he was on one; it took a couple of months to get him weaned off the thing. (This time he was weaned off over just a few hours,) but then needed to be transferred to a larger hospital for possible open-heart surgery. (He only ended up getting a couple stents placed and was discharged a day or two later.)

How did this LPN's father get in jail in the first place? He was picked up on a minor traffic violation, but then they found out he had been convicted of a felony 20+ years ago & at the time of the traffic stop he had a gun in his truck, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

She was worried about her daddy. "What can I say? I am a daddy's girl." "I am just worried that I might not get to see my Dad alive again." Sorry, but after the 2nd day of hearing her belabor the story, I just couldn't take it. Her Dad was in another state & there wasn't anything she could do, but spend more time on personal phone calls than most of the people who were actually triaging the case. All the stress also meant a need for a few extra smoke breaks.

Oh, and while all this was going on her boyfriend's grandmother ended up in the local hospital across town & he wasn't able to go to the hospital and see her because his keys were in her car. Why? Who knows? She was thinking that she might need to leave work early & dump some of her work on an LPN working a totally different wing, so she could get the boyfriend's keys to him.

Did I tell you how on this 1st day, I heard the story about how silly, crazy, embarrassing, etc. her boyfriend was because he likes to dress in plaid shirts and Peterbuilt truck hats? He even refused to apply for a really great trucking job, where he would be home 3 nights a week because, "They drive International trucks & not Peterbuilts." Oh, but she is so proud that he is starting his own business of doing custom paint jobs on vehicles.

I happened to know the other RN working on the other wing, whom stated that this was Drama Queen's usual life. She had made it perfectly clear that didn't care if she was fired and was even trying to get fired, so she could collect unemployment. It sounded like she had already scared off other RNs who were to supervise that wing. The problem? She is good friends with the Director of Nursing.

I am wondering who is going to get smart first when it comes to this situation. I doubt that this LPN realizes just how great, angry but grateful, to be taken off that assignment. It is also interesting how the previous agency RN working with her had to finish moving to FL a week before her assignment was complete.

In all reality, it doesn't matter. I was one of the smart ones in that situation. My agency has since placed me on a physical rehab unit in the opposite direction from my place. A place with excellent teamwork & even working with the nurse manager on one night when there wasn't staff to cover the floor was more reassuring than threatening. Heck, if I go crazy, this building also houses this facility's three psychiatric units (jk). One of the security officers would probably have no problem walking me down the hall to general psych.

Wishing you adventure in life & the grace to slip through the tight spots with finesse.